cowboy-boots
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Krista Dalton
Krista Dalton is Chief Marketing and Digital Officer at Tecovas, the Austin-based western wear brand built on handmade cowboy boots that has grown into a lifestyle label with more than 50 US stores. She spent nine years at Target, where she moved from allocating plus-size and maternity apparel to becoming the first person the company shifted from stores to Target.com in 2013, then seven years at Overstock.com (now Beyond Inc), ending as Chief Customer and Merchandising Officer with a team of over 1,300 and an $800M-plus P&L. At Tecovas she has pushed the brand into work boots and women's workwear, run TV blackout tests to prove what awareness actually buys, sent her team into customers' closets, and built a custom AI agent to chew through the roughly 16 reports she used to read by hand. Footwear News named her to its Women Who Rock class of 2026, where she argued that authenticity is the new competitive advantage.
Ariat International
Ariat International is a Union City, California footwear and apparel company founded in 1993 that applied athletic-shoe technology to riding boots and grew into the world's largest equestrian sports brand. Today it designs performance boots, western wear, workwear and flame-resistant gear for riders, ranchers, tradespeople and outdoor enthusiasts, sold globally through retailers and direct-to-consumer channels.
Tecovas
Tecovas is an Austin, Texas-based western brand that set out to be the "Warby Parker of cowboy boots" - selling handmade, León, Mexico-crafted leather boots and western apparel directly to consumers at attainable prices. Founded in 2015 by Paul Hedrick, it grew from an online-only startup into an omnichannel retailer with more than 50 stores, roughly $300 million in expected sales, and a loyal community drawn to its blend of heritage craftsmanship and modern retail.
Twisted X Global Brands
Twisted X Global Brands is a Decatur, Texas-based footwear company that designs and manufactures comfortable, handcrafted western, work, casual and outdoor shoes and boots for men, women and children. Known for its patented CellStretch comfort technology and its ecoTWX fabric made from recycled plastic bottles, Twisted X pairs all-day comfort with a sustainability mission that made it one of the first carbon-neutral footwear companies. Under CEO Prasad Reddy, the company turned around from near-bankruptcy in 2009 into a fast-growing brand family that includes Twisted X, Twisted X Work, Black Star Boots, CellSole and licensed Wrangler Footwear.